


Drabble Collection

by LtLJ



Category: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Genre: Angst, Character of Color, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Drama, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-11-23
Updated: 2005-11-23
Packaged: 2017-10-03 15:07:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LtLJ/pseuds/LtLJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of gen drabbles</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drabble Collection

**Fire** 09/27/03

 

Iolaus leaned on his sword, wincing as sweat stung the burned streaks down his back. "I understand the symbolism, I really do."

Hercules nodded, distractedly brushing the last charred fragments of his vest away. The blisters on his chest looked awful and hurt worse, but he felt lucky to still have his pants.

"Transformation, renewal, rebirth, resurrection." Iolaus wearily scrubbed the soot off his brow, wincing again. "I get all that."

Hercules stamped out a still-burning patch of grass. "Your point is?"

"My point is, are you sure want to do this again in a year?"

Hercules eyed the large Phoenix egg in its nest of ashes, then sighed. "No. You're right. Omelets for dinner."

 

**Bright Idea** 10/20/03

Trying to breathe past the suffocating stench, Iolaus clung to the slippery surface, feeling his way through the slime for another handhold. "You know, I hate to say I told you so--"

"That's news to me," Hercules muttered under his breath. Using Iolaus' sword, he hacked away at the rubbery red wall that was the sea monster's alimentary canal.

"What did you say?" Iolaus asked, in a "I did hear you but am giving you a second chance not to start a fight" tone.

"Nothing." Hercules had to admit, the creature hadn't been as easy to kill from the inside as he had thought.

 

**Earth** 10/28/03

They had never decided what to do with the monument. Iolaus found it less disturbing to pass than the rough square of sunken earth that removing it would expose. "Pyres are better," he told Hercules when they reluctantly discussed it. "Not that anyone normally dead notices. But underground is either too hot or too cold." Smothering hot in a desert tomb whether you needed to breathe or not, or freezing in wet mud that worked its way down into throat and eyes and the hole in your chest...

Hercules was watching him worriedly. "But you don't remember that."

Iolaus started, not sure how much had shown on his face. "Of course not."

 

**Trinity** 11/08/03

The young priest said, "I bear a message from the Graiae about your dead friend Iolaus. You must come with me."

Hercules sighed, annoyed. It was a lousy trap, but Hera's temple in Piraeus was always behind on the news. He said, deceptively polite, "Do you?"

The priest's sneer wavered. Iolaus wandered up just then, eyeing the situation suspiciously. The priest smiled, confident again. "We know that this is an otherworld duplicate--"

Hercules nudged Iolaus with an elbow. "Show him your scar," he prompted.

Iolaus rolled his eyes, and did.

As the terrified priest fled, Iolaus said thoughtfully, "Mad Hercules and his undead partner."

Hercules shrugged, resigned. "It has a ring to it."

 

**Jinx** by Martha 12/17/03

"It's not always him," Hercules said thoughtfully, folding his arms. "Most of the time."

"So when things like this happen, it's a coincidence that he's involved." Iolaus leaned on his sword, his expression skeptical. "The giant snake with the treasure fixation. The cursed panther. The undead Ghidra. The headless giant. The minotaur nest. Perseus. Everything."

Hercules nodded, resigned. "I see your point."

Autolycus, balanced uneasily on the idol's shoulder and clutching its ruby Eye, kicked desperately at the multi-armed animate statues reaching angrily for him, and shouted, "Hey! HEY! I could use a little help over here!"

 

**Broken** 5/13/04

Deianeira met them out on the road to tell Iolaus that his two boys were dead. When his rage burnt out into grief, Iolaus collapsed on the floor of the house and Hercules just held him, saying nothing. Deianeira waited outside, her tears locked in a tight knot of fear.

When Hercules came out, she said, "It was this same time that Ania died. Right at the end of the harvest."

Hercules nodded slightly, cleared his throat. "It's a year to the day."

Deianeira felt cold inside. "It was Hera. She did this so she could watch you, watching him."

After a long moment, he nodded again.

 

**Back to the Norse** 5/21/04 (refers to the fifth season episode "Norse by Norsewest")

Iolaus leaned on the ship's rail, the icy wind pulling at his hair, his sheepskin jacket that barely keeping out the cold. Clouds were thick overhead, promising snow as they approached the rocky inhospitable shore ahead. "I think you're making this up."

"No, that's what they were chanting." Hercules didn't feel the cold like a mortal and his only concession to it was to wear a leather coat over his normal clothes.

"'Butt him.'" Iolaus' brows lifted in skeptical amusement. "What did you think that meant?"

"What did you think I thought it meant?"

 

**Hangover** 8/04/04

Hercules' mouth felt like sandpaper and his head pounded as if an invisible Strife was hitting him with a hammer. He reached under the blanket, feeling around until he encountered a tangled mane of hair. He ruffled it cautiously. "Iolaus."

The moan that came in reply had an edge of threat to it. After more prodding Iolaus finally sat up, looking vaguely around the cave. His pupils were still dilated. "Were there giant spiders in here last night?"

"No, but you thought so and you convinced me there were." Hercules rubbed his gritty eyes. "New rule: no more drinking contests with Maenads."

 

**Wish** 8/08/04

The sword Iolaus hadn't been able to use hung heavy on his hip. Hidden in the alley, he watched Hercules pass through the murky twilight of the narrow Nemean street. Beggars, thieves, and murderers parted for him as if by magic, slinking out of his path to seek lesser quarry. And maybe it was magic, like the way he had deflected Iolaus' attack without lifting a finger.

But Hercules had lied; a stupid lie, just like any of the scum in the street might tell. He knows me. I'm his friend. Right, he thought derisively. But he felt sweat burn down his chest and a fist seemed to close around his heart. No. I'm going after Zeno. Gritting his teeth, Iolaus snarled and pushed off the wall. To follow Hercules.

 

**Witness** 9/13/04

Iolaus paced impatiently in front of a wineshop that faced the docks at Corinth.

"Hey," a familiar voice called. "Do you happen to know where a lonely sea captain could find some company?"

Iolaus turned, widening his eyes ingenuously. "Oh no, this is my first time in the big city."

"Is that so?" Nebula stepped close.

"My mother told me to be careful of strangers," Iolaus added, maintaining the naive expression. The wineshop patrons stared, all conversation suspended.

"Just an innocent country boy?" Nebula asked, her voice a purr. "You could get in a lot of trouble in a place like this without someone to, let's say, show you the ropes."

Iolaus gazed up at her trustingly. "Would you show me the ropes?"

There was a collective gasp of anticipation from the audience. Nebula said huskily, "Oh yes."

 

**Shelter** 8/23/04

The unseasonable cold rain found every gap in leather that led it to Iolaus' chilled skin. Crouched on tree roots and wedged against the trunk, the heavy branches above were the only shelter in this rocky muddy Tartarus of a mountain valley. His eyes drifted shut again and he twitched awake with a muttered curse. Sleep meant sliding into the stinking morass just below the tree roots.

Hercules squeezed in next to him, dripping wet. "So this is your idea of a camp, huh?"

"Yeah, I fixed it up all special for you." Groaning with relief, Iolaus shifted to lean against the demigod's back, just as solid as the tree trunk and a little broader, and let himself sink into sleep.

 

**Show Off** 10/17/04

The village headman climbed back up the hill. "They say they'll depart in peace if our champion fights theirs."

Leaning on his sarissa, Hercules surveyed the small bandit army, brows lifted in surprise. "Are they sure? They know what they're getting into?"

The headman spread his hands, shrugging. "I warned them, but they wouldn't listen."

Hercules shook his head ruefully. "On their heads be it." He turned to Iolaus. "Go easy on him, okay?"

"Fat chance." Iolaus snorted, drawing his sword. "I want to make Thrace before dark."

 

**Shades** 10/30/04

_For Halloween._

Iolaus couldn't see the valley or the farm from here, just the road and a little distance down the hill. It wasn't the forest that blocked his view, but the gray veil, like a rain soaked mist, that turned the sky to a perpetual stormy twilight and faded the green of the pines and the colors of the flowers the occasional traveller left beside the base of the stone.

He saw Xena once, riding slowly through the trees below. He called softly to her just to see if she could hear him and she paused, her head turned, frowning. But old guilt made her shiver and she moved on.

He never saw Hercules, until the day the demigod brought the Sovereign's Jester to see the stone. He didn't call to anyone after that.


End file.
